How Do I Know if I Need Injectables or a Facelift?
Dermal injectables to re-plump facial volume as well as neuromodulators like Botox® or Dysport® to relax wrinkle-causing muscles have come a long way in the last few years. Many patients are attracted to the smaller cost, lack of downtime and subtle results provided by injectable treatments. However, when you’re deciding between non-surgical treatments like injectables, minimally invasive procedures like the Band Aid Facelift, or traditional facelift surgery, it’s important to understand what they can and cannot do to maximize your satisfactions with results. Here are a few key takeaways for patients to think about and discuss with their plastic surgeon before deciding on the facial rejuvenation procedure right for them:
What’s the cause of your cosmetic complaint?
The signs of aging do not stem from just one source: skin and muscle laxity, skin tone, and depleted tissue volume can all contribute to looking older than you feel. The key to maximizing patient satisfaction is making sure that the treatment fits the complaint. Surgical procedures like the Band Aid Facelift address issues like excess, drooping skin and muscle laxity whereas more comprehensive procedures like the traditional facelift focus on more severe lax muscles and excess skin. To maximize the effectiveness of his cosmetic procedures Dr. LeRoy customizes his Band Aid Facelift and traditional facelift techniques to the individual patient’s needs.
How dramatic do you want your results to appear?
The goal of any cosmetic treatment that I perform is to deliver refreshed, but natural looking results. However, depending on the treatment that you elect and the extent of the issues addressed the results will be more or less dramatic. Wrinkle filler like Restylane® and Perlane® offer re-plumping of deeper wrinkles and folds; however, they are only designed to treat the areas into which they’re injected and their effects typically last 6-12 months before the treatment needs to be repeated.
Do you plan on having other treatments done?
Just as there are multiple factors that contribute to the severity of signs of aging, it’s sometimes best to take a tiered approach to facial rejuvenation. For example, if you’re a patient seeing subtle results for wrinkles around the eyes but also want to treat areas of hyperpigmentation, a combination of Band Aid Laser Skin Resurfacing and injectables may be recommended. It’s also important to remember that if you do receive a combination of treatments, the results will most likely be gradual as each treatment requires a different healing process.
Contact our office to learn more about your facial rejuvenation treatment options from Atlanta cosmetic and plastic surgeon Dr. John LeRoy. You can also stay abreast of the latest cosmetic treatment advances for facial aging by connecting with Dr. LeRoy on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
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